The sun sets early up in the north and is late to rise. Darkness spread by the time Rachel questioned the witnesses. Rachel acquired permission for Lance to be present for the last one. They spoke rapidly in Spanish, and he couldn't understand a word.
A child peeked into the living room and waved. Lance saw an opportunity to question the little girl. He padded over to her and got down on one knee. I'm Lance. Who are you?"
"Mary-Anne," she looked away and blushed. "Your mom is pretty."
"She's not my mom." Lance stood to his full height, "How's it going?"
"I don't want him to come back," Mary-Anne shivered and hugged herself. She motioned him to come closer. "He counted the bones, and I heard him."
"What?" the presence gripped Lance's mind with interest. An image of a question mark flashed in his mind. What did it mean? He held her shoulders. "What are you talking about?"
"The pale man came with a heavy sack." Mary-Ann's eyes filled with terror. Her thumb touched her lips. "He did right next to my dad. Mom made him sleep on the couch. The pale man saw me and pressed a finger to his lips."
Rachel tapped him on the back and said, "Are you ready to leave, Lance?"
Lance nodded. He waved goodbye to Mary-Anne. Once they were outside, he turned to Rachel, "Have I got something to tell you." He shared Mary-Annes's story with her.
"Do you think she saw something?" Rachel pressed the auto start button, and the car came to life.
"Kids say weird things all the time. She was scared enough to hide it from her parents. The mother would've mentioned it."
"That's a good observation. I'll see if any of the other kids saw something. If they come up with a similar story, we know how he stalks the victims. It also tells us he isn't far from them either."
A sense of pride came over Lance. He helped advance a case. "Thanks for listening to me. My dad didn't always. I guess investment banking doesn't leave much room for a family."
"I'll take any lead at this point. The mayor is breathing down our neck about solving the case. When are you going to tell your mom about the presence?"
"Tomorrow," Lance said. "Can you be there when I tell her?"
Rachel held her silence for a few moments, "Jaxson..." She saw the look on his face and smiled, "I'll be there."
***
At two a.m., Lance awoke with a start. The presence rattled his thoughts. A danger sign flashed twice in his mind. He let his feet touch the carpet and left the room.
The clatter of sticks echoed down the hall. Lance tensed up while a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Shallow breaths left him light-headed. He followed the noise to his mother's room.
He peeked through the door. A massive rancher's hat rose above the side of the bed. Ethereal whispers filled the room. At the foot of the bed sat a large burlap sack filled to the brim with bones. A spicy citrus scent filled the air.
Lance entered the room, "Who are you..."
The rancher's hat rose. A ghostly white face with sunken eyes glared at him. The deathlike shroud writhed and twisted around the impossibly tall body. "She's mine," the man said childishly.
The presence forced itself to the front of Jaxsons mind. A ghostly screech almost burst his eardrums. A silvery blue glow surrounded the teen. "Leave," Lance pointed to the open balcony doors.
The bony fingers clenched, and the spindly legs spread apart. The pale figure in the rancher's hat pointed at Rachel. "No, I saw her first. The bones are mine." He drew two femurs from the sack and swung.
Lance shut his eyes and braced for impact. The presence forced his eyes open, and the light grew brighter and started to take shape. The explosion of energy drained Lance's energy rapidly. The mental visitor held his vocal cords and said, "Creature of evil, know I am your end."
Lance's hand shot up and caught the bone midswing. His hand clutched the smooth surface and snapped it like a toothpick. He twisted around and delivered a backhand to the intruder.
"No fair. No fair. I was here first." The entity complained. It tossed the sack through the window. The noise woke Rachel and Abigail. The intruder escaped into the night.
Abigail pointed at the window, and Rachel swore. The women held each other while.
The spiritual creature attached to Lance attempted to pursue the pale figure. "No." What started as a protection mission became a battle for control. His hands pressed against the door frame. "We'll look for it tomorrow," he said with clenched teeth.
The aura vanished, and he tumbled to the floor. His body shook, and fierce hunger clawed his belly, "I need to eat."
***
Abigail leaned over the counter while Lance devoured a sandwich, "So he came to you? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Lance decided to tell you this morning, Mi Amor. I'll admit this is not how he wanted you to find out." Rachel embraced Jaxson's mom.
"What is it?" Abigail demanded.
"I don't know," Lance said. He peeled a banana, "I think it's the orb from the highway. I don't know why it picked me." A sharp pain rattled his skull. A pool of blood and a long chalk line flashed in his mind. "Bloodline?"
Abigail waved her hands, "Who are you talking to?" She tried to reach him, but Rachel held her back. "Let me go."
"I know this hurts, but it's trying to communicate. Don't forget it just saved our lives." Rachel stroked Abigail's hair in a vain attempt to calm her down.
Another image showed his father circled in red, "The orb creature says it runs on dad's side of the family." A few more pictures became a puzzle. He sounded out the words and came up with, "Eidolon? What the hell does that mean?"
Abigail buried her face in Rachel's shoulder, "I'll take tomorrow off, and we'll get this sorted out."
"I agree," Lance said. "Can you imagine me in school with this thing?"